Nadeem Anjarwalla, a Binance executive detained in Nigeria over alleged tax evasion, has managed to escape from lawful custody.
Anjarwalla, along with his colleague Tigran Gambaryan, faced a four-count criminal charge filed by the Nigerian government.
The escape occurred on Friday, 22 March, when Anjarwalla, a British national with Kenyan citizenship, fled from an Abuja guest house where they were detained.
Despite holding a British passport, which remained in custody, Anjarwalla reportedly fled using a Kenyan passport. Authorities are investigating how he acquired the passport and his intended destination.
The detention of Anjarwalla and Gambaryan came amid allegations of tax evasion and other financial crimes leveled against Binance, a major cryptocurrency exchange platform. The Nigerian government accused Binance of facilitating illegal activities, including money laundering and terrorism financing, amounting to over $21.6 billion in concealed transactions.
The Nigerian government also filed additional charges against Binance Holdings Limited, Anjarwalla, and Gambaryan for failing to register with the Federal Inland Revenue Service and pay relevant taxes. The charges highlighted Binance’s alleged failure to comply with tax laws and its role in facilitating tax evasion by subscribers on its platform.
This incident adds to Binance’s legal woes, following its recent agreement to settle with the US Department of Justice over criminal money laundering charges.
Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao, known as CZ, pleaded guilty, and promised to pay $4.3 billion as settlement and to tender his resignation.
